Thread: Firearms License

Originally Posted by P38

The $241.50 is most likely just a nominal fee with the $126.50 more of a financial incentive to encourage Firearms users to relicence before expirey (unless you have no intention to relicence that is) in order for the Police to maintain accurate records.

I'm sure it costs the Police much more than $241.50 to process the application.

I've been through this process within the last month and heres a brief explaination on whats involved and as you could appriciate theres a fair few hours work involved with each application not to mention the costs in maintaining the database and production and delivery of the physical licence.

Firstly I was contacted by the Arms Officer by phone to advise my licence was about to expire, confirm my current address and ask if I was intending to relicence.
I then recieved a letter explaining that my licence was about to expire and enclosed were the application forms for renewal and an explanation of how the process works.
I completed the forms, paid my money at the Police bankers @ Westpac and took the reciept and application forms to the AO who began the process by logging the reciept of this application and issuing a work order to the licencing Inspector.
I was then contacted by phone by the licencing Inspector who arranged a time to visit and interview myself, my wife and anyone else who resides at my address.
He visited on the apointed day and spent about an hour and a half with us.
He then visited my referees which took about another hour each of his time not counting traveling to visit them.
He then would have had to complete all his paperwork including a Police background check and submit them to the firearms officer for review and reccomendation.
The AO recieves this report reviews it and passes it to the Area Commander for approval.
Final sign off is completed by the Area commander who reviews the information and sends it back to the AO either accepted or rejected.
If accepted more paperwork is completed and an order is placed for the production of a New Firearms Licence.
Said licence is the posted to my address.
If rejected then the AO has even more work to complete, including reviews and appeals etc.

All this work costs the Police (Us taxpayers actually) much more than $126.50, and I'd say it would cost even more than $241.50

Cheers
Pete

Hi Pete, thanks for those details. You were probably right about the costs being more than the fee(s).

I've just had the interview with the inspecting officer today. Could you remember how long your whole process took, from application lodged to receiving it in the mail?

Cheers
Kit

Originally Posted by shuuter

Hi Pete, thanks for those details. You were probably right about the costs being more than the fee(s).

I've just had the interview with the inspecting officer today. Could you remember how long your whole process took, from application lodged to receiving it in the mail?

Cheers
Kit

Time taken was about four or five weeks in total.

The inspector was round home days after the application was made

The majority of the time was taken up with the District Commander being too busy to sign off on the paperwork so it sat on his desk for a couple of weeks.

Once that was done the licence appeared in the mail about a week later.

Cheers
Pete